Ten Gallon Heart
by Halidom
Summary: Older hearts are heavier hearts, and the mind wanders more often than the body that it is in. A collection of one-shot short stories featuring Calvin.
1. Leaving (Calvin x Molly)

_**A/N:** I feel there are a severe lack of Calvin stories, so I've decided to fix that with a collection of short stories featuring the Indiana Jones of Castanet._

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**Leaving**

"I can't do this, Molly," he told her, looking down at his feet, unable to look her in the eye.

She had tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. Molly was frozen in her spot, heart pounding against her ribcage, sweat sticking her auburn hair to her pale face. She was in panic mode.

"Calvin, please! You can't leave," she pleaded to him, prepared to choke back any sobs. She said nothing else.

Neither made a move towards the other. The seconds felt like minutes, and when Molly's eyes glanced at the clock time hadn't moved.

He finally looked at her, his eyes wet with tears she knew he wouldn't cry. Her heart broke. He was a strong man. Prone to flights of fancy, and she had been one of them; she had just kept his attention longer than most.

He moved past her, towards the door, duffle bag in one hand, apologies in the other.

* * *

The house was quiet, except for her labored breathing; but she could hear the animals outside, enjoying the nice weather. She, however, couldn't bring herself to get up off of the floor.

She knew this was coming, it shouldn't have surprised her, he was a wanderer, and she was a farmer. No matter how green her thumb was, she couldn't make him plant roots in this place.

Molly never saw him again.


	2. Sleepless (Calvin x Phoebe)

**A/N:** Finally another story for this "collection". Oh, man. Calvin is harder to write for than I thought! I hope you enjoy this new one shot!

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**Sleepless**

He awoke to an empty spot beside him. Again.

They had been married for half a year, and the number of times he woke in the middle of the night to find her in bed with him could be counted on one of his hands. He wasn't really sure if he could blame her for being a night owl, as he had been one in his early twenties a well, but was it so much to ask that she at least attempt to sleep in bed with him? Most times sex was the farthest thing from his mind, he just enjoyed turning over to feel his wife's body heat, to have her lying there be a comforting familiarity. He sighed and forced himself from the bed, feet hitting the cold floor, sending a chill up his spine.

"Damn mountains," he muttered under his breath.

Calvin had spent the entire previous year in Castanet, renting a room at the Ocarina Inn. From spring through winter the room was warm, and he felt no hesitation in leaving the bed. However, once he and Phoebe married, they bought a small house in the Garmon District. It was only early autumn, and the heat was already on, but it seems the altitude and surrounding rock sucked up all the warmth.

The inky black of night was broken up by the yellow light that came from the kitchen, on the other side of cracked door. He pulled it open fully to see his wife asleep at the table, head resting on her arms, teal hair a mess, her glasses still on her face. A bottle of Super Stay Awake was half empty within reach of her hand.

His usually carefree demeanor began to diminish as he walked towards his wife.

"_So she did get tired, but she still didn't come to bed_?" He thought to himself, biting his tongue, forcing back the urge to wake her by yelling her name.

She was as stubborn as she was intelligent, if there were something she wanted to do, she would force herself to stay awake to do it. He used to love that about her. Her endless thirst for knowledge and willingness to sacrifice things in the pursuit of it, he admired her for that. Now, however, it wore his patience thin, and he often found himself frustrated in that he was one of those things she was willing to sacrifice.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to wake up, startled.

"Calvin?" she asked, adjusting her glasses, "What's wrong? It's still dark out, shouldn't you be in bed?"

He took the seat across from her at the table, and looked into her eyes for a moment before opening his mouth, choosing his words carefully, "You should be too, that's what's wrong."

She looked at him, debating on how to respond, biting the inside of her cheek. It was going to be a long rest of the night.


End file.
